20/01/2014 North West Tonight

the windscreen first thing in the morning. That is all from us. Now,

on BBC Good evening. Welcome to North West

Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and Roger Johnson. Our top story: A

victim of deliberate and sustained domestic abuse. Today, Linzi

Ashton's ex`partner admits her murder. Prosecutors say they were

determined to bring Michael Cope to justice.

Also tonight: The Bank of Salford, an idea to help people who are

skint. Can it really be delivered by a council which is skint? I have

said my goodbyes and made my peace, I won't pretend I am not afraid but

I am ready. As the Street says goodbye to Hayley

we talk to the Merseyside widow who welcomes the controversial

storyline. I suppose they think, you know, what

would I do if I was as ill as that? Would I want the choice of being

able to say enough is enough now? Would you mind telling me how long

you have believed yourself to be a God?

And, the Hollywood film stars who could be helping the North West

writers head for glory at the Oscars.

The police had always considered him their prime suspect and today

Michael Cope finally admitted he had killed his former girlfriend, Linzi

Ashton. Linzi was strangled at her home in Salford last summer. Cope

went on the run after the killing and evaded capture for several

weeks. He initially denied doing her any harm but then changed his mind

on the very day he was due to stand trial. Our chief reporter Dave Guest

was in court as Cope made his about`turn.

This is Linzi Ashton, in the words of her family, a loving and doting

mum. And this is Michael Coal, the man who now `` Cope, the man who

admits he killed her. They had been a couple but the relationship was

marred by Cope's violence towards Linzi. The Independent Police

Complaints Commission has been investigating how the force dealt

with her. This is where Linzi lived and died, her home in the Winton

area of Salford. Her battered body was found here last June. She had

been strangled. Cope was soon cited as the prime suspect. He went on the

run and the police appealed for the public's help in finding him. They

issued this footage of Cope buying provisions. When he was caught he

denied harming Linzi, pleading not guilty to assaulting her, raping her

and murdering her. He was due to stand trial at Manchester Crown

Court today. Then changed his mind at the 11th hour. Today, the charges

were put to Michael Cope again. Three charges that he assaulted

Linzi Ashton causing her actual bodily harm. On two occasions he was

said to have attempted to strangle her. To all three charges Cope

pleaded guilty. Then the fourth charge, that he murdered Linzi in

June of last year. Again, a guilty plea. Members of Linzi's family and

friends were in the public gallery to hear Cope finally admit his

guilt. The rape charge will lie on the file. The CPS said Linzi had

suffered terribly at the hands of Cope. We have been determined to

bring Michael Cope to justice for the horrific way in which he treated

Linzi Ashton and we have worked tirelessly to build a strong case

against him. Linzi's mum told me this afternoon the family would be

making a statement once Cope is sentenced tomorrow morning.

The Mayor of Salford says he wants to tackle the scourge of payday

lenders and loan sharks. He wants to set up the Bank of Salford. A high

street bank with a difference. But is it a noble idea by a council to

help hard`up people or an idea unlikely to get off the ground, from

a hard`up council. Here's our business correspondent Jayne

McCubbin. Salford precinct, a mix of pound,

gaming arcades, pay day loan companies, charity shops, all you

need to see to know Salford is skint. In the Heart Foundation Shop

they know how tight money is. Sometimes you feel as though there

is only one way, I have been that close. I know how it feels and it's

not right. All these shops that are open opening are ripping people off.

You are like a hamster in a wheel, you can't get out of it. For the

mayor of Salford these lenders are a scourge, one he would like to stop

along with loan sharks. He wants to create an alternative, the Bank of

Salford. Exactly the same as a high street bank, but without the

shareholders. We will try to make the best use of the interest that we

get on that money for the benefit of the people of Salford so they don't

have to look for loan sharks or pay day loans. It's admirable for the

council to want to help people who are skint. But the council is skint

itself, in the last four years they've lost almost ?100 million, in

the next four years they're going to lose another ?90 million. Is this

wise? If they're there to help and are going to help people I am for

all it. I would like to think it would work, just to help people out

who have nowhere else to turn. I want to open a tiny bank... It won't

be easy, as others have already found out. That might be straight to

jail... The Bank of Dave was set up in Burnley. David will be advising

as the council attempts to set up the Bank of Salford. One other

organisation they're taking advice from, the Co`Op Bank. Jane is here.

It's not easy to set up a bank. Councils like Salford are feeling

the squeeze of public spending cuts, is it likely to happen? They've felt

the squeeze but they're not broke. They've still a net budget of ?234

million a year. They say if this is going through their own bank they

get to decide what they do with the interest. A big gamble with public

money at the end of the day, it's public money and belongs to the

people. I said there was no shareholders but I suppose the

people would be the shareholders. The British Bankers' Association

said they like this idea, the public I spoke to liked the idea. I spoke

to a Professor at university, he had two concerns. Councils should stick

to council business and the other is there are already models doing

different things out there and people don't do anything with them

because of inertia. They don't like to try anything new. I asked the

mayor if he was playing with public money, if he could be seen as a soft

touch by people with a poor credit rating, he said absolutely not. They

still have all the checks and balances of a normal bank. We still

have to charge interest that reflected the risk of clients but

they wouldn't have to charge interest that recouped massive

profits and that's the difference. Who knows if it will get off the

ground. If it does it's going to be a long way off. I am sure you will

follow with it interest. Of course. Thank you very much.

An alleged victim of sexual assault in the trial of the Coronation

Street actor William Roache has told the court she has no reason in the

world to lie. Under cross`examination, the witness

agreed that she sometimes got details about times and dates wrong,

but maintained she was telling the truth. The 81`year`old from Wilmslow

denies sexual offences against five girls in the 1960s.

The trial began today of a maths teacher on the Isle of Man who's

charged with rape. Davoud Tajinijad from Douglas is also charged with

ten counts of indecent assault. The alleged offences took place between

October 2011 and February 2013. The 58`year`old denies all charges.

A date has been set for the Wythenshawe and Sale East

by`election. It follows the death of 60`year`old Paul Goggins ` the

Labour MP who died earlier this month after collapsing while out

running with his son. The vote will be held on 13th February.

The two teenagers who made international headlines when they

disappeared from a Lancashire boarding school and jetted off for a

Caribbean holiday have been found safe and well. 16`year`olds Edward

Bunyan and Indira Gainiyeva left Stonyhurst College near Clitheroe

last week, leading to a police search on both sides of the

Atlantic. The college head said today's news was a tremendous relief

to their parents and teachers. Naomi Cornwell is at the school now. Where

exactly have the teenagers been during this time? Well, certainly a

long way from here. When they left here in the early hours of last

Monday it was to get a taxi to Manchester Airport and then a series

of flights that took them to the Dominican Republic. It was there

they were found in a hotel last night. The hotel they were staying

at was a five`star all`inclusive resort that would have set them back

around ?350 a night. Hardly pocket money but these are Stonyhursh

pupils we are talking about. Many pupils are from wealthy families and

many would have the means to do this if he wanted to. It's tremendous

they're safe and well. That they're in the care of police and one of the

parents and our reaction is we are delighted. All we wanted is for them

to be found and safe and that's the case, so brilliant. When are they

coming back and what's going to happen to them when they do? Well,

they're still out there at the moment with their families. It's not

clear yet when they will be leaving the Dominican Republic. Lancashire

Police say when they arrive back in this country they will be giving the

pair a welfare debrief. You can be sure their parents will be giving

them more than a debrief. One mother has already travelled to the

Dominican Republic from the family home. Edward's mother lives in

Spain, it gives you an idea of how much of an international affair this

has been. As for the school, it says it's leaving it up to the parents,

for now, before it finally will decide on exactly how to deal with

them. Thank you very much.

One of the most talked about storylines on TV reaches its climax

tonight when Hayley Cropper takes her own life in ITV's Coronation

Street. The character's suicide, in Street. The character's suicide, in

the face of inoperable cancer, has sparked a huge amount of debate

about terminal illness and the right to die. Today, the widow of a

Merseyside man, who committed assisted`suicide, has welcomed the

debate the programme has inspired. Reg Crew had motor neurone disease

and flew to Switzerland to take his own life. Andy Gill reports.

I know I asked to stay with me. But if you feel you can't, I understand.

I am not leaving you. Hayley Cropper and her on screen husband Roy

preparing for tonight's farewells. ITV say Hayley's death is not an

assisted suicide. Reg Crew from Liverpool flew to the Swiss clinic

Dignitas to be helped to die. Motor neurone disease meant he was

incapable of ending his own life. Today, on the 11th anniversary of

his death, his widow told me it's his death, his widow told me it's

right for programmes like Coronation Street to set out the issues for

people who otherwise might not think about them. They watch that and

then, I suppose, they think, well, you know, what would I do if I was

as ill as that? Would I want the choice of being able to say enough

is enough now? One campaign group has deep reservations about TV

portrayals of suicide. Pain relief can control cancer pain in the vast

majority of cases. And effective pain relief in good hands does not

cause confusion. The danger is that you fuel concerns that people have

about the dying process and end up inadvertently steering people

towards suicide as a solution. The programme`makers say they don't

glamourise things. It's very balanced. The weeks to come we see

the defence stating effects on Roy `` devastating effects on Roy about

Hayley's decision was. Win Crew says she hopes the programme will help

get the law changed so assisted suicide becomes legal in this

country. We are going to move to the issue of

energy next. We might be using less energy in our homes these days but

the price we pay for it is going up. Some people across our region are

trying to reduce their bills by becoming more self`sufficient. John

Leonard from Saddleworth has installed a wind turbine in his

garden. Our reporter Jacey Normand's been to meet him.

Obviously lowering your energy usage will really reduce your electricity

bill but you can take it one stage further and start generating your

own power. It's very windy here today. It's not too noisy. We can

hear each other. The helicopter noise that you can hear is the sound

of the air pressure of the Blades going past. John lives in

Saddleworth, one of the with windiest parts of our region and he

is putting the local elements to good use with his wind turbine. I

wanted to know what motivated him to build it. It was mostly green

reasons. I liked the idea and it was after various disasters and you

think there's got to be a better way. The turbine cost ?50,000 to

install. With a fair wind he can expect to recover that investment

within seven years. More importantly, he will make a

substantial reduction to energy bills. I see it as part of my

pension so we can afford to live in the house that we like and afford to

heat it because energy is going to keep costing more and it's nice to

generate a little bit of your own and you feel you are putting

something back, as well. And you can see other people who are

trying to lower their energy costs on Inside Out North West this

evening at 7. 30pm on BBC1. I shall be watching that with interest! Most

people just not putting the heating on! The weather later. Richard is

here with the sport. Mounting problems over the weekend

for two of our championship sides. Yes.

Blackpool and Bolton. Wanderers are just four points above the

relegation zone after what their manager, as you'll hear in a moment,

described as an embarrassing 7` defeat to Reading. But Blackpool's

problems really came to a head. Supporters reacted angrily after

their latest defeat and there were reports over the weekend that

manager Paul Ince had been sacked. He hasn't, but with the tug`of`war

over his son's future, star forward Tom, an unsettling backdrop, as well

as a lack of signings in the window, some fans are wondering what next?

Blackpool's problems are far from small. Despite a terrible run of

form Paul Ince remains unruffled and determined not to walk away. After

this loss at Barnsley seft them eight points off the relegation ``

left them eight points off the relegation zone. He is going to turn

it around, he will have to get some players. I think they should have a

change. Sorry to say that. After such a good start.

The 9th defeat in the last ten matches under Paul Ince, led to

crisis talks with his chairman over the weekend. But ended with him

remaining as manager. There's no doubt his position as manager

remains precarious, a situation mirrored here at Bolton Wanderers, a

club with different but no less significant problems to solve.

For them it's two wins in the last ten league matches. The latest, a

far from magnificent seven. A 7`1 malling at Reading. Very

disappointed, embarrassed for the club, embarrassed for the fans that

travelled down. We have to make sure we double our efforts. Get in the

morning and make sure we face it in the best possible way and move

forward. It's the bank balance as much as the points balance that s

much as the points balance that's been talked about of late. The club

says because almost all its 163 million debt is owed to the owner it

isn't a major problem but some supporters remain unconvinced about

the club's health on the pitch and off it. Three years ago we were up

in the Premier League beating teams like Liverpool. Now we are getting

beat 7`1 off Reading, it's embarrassing. Two famous old clubs

who hope this latest troubled chapter in their histories is about

to change for the better. Let's hope things do improve.

Manchester City put four past Cardiff on Saturday. Edin Dzeko's

Cardiff on Saturday. Edin Dzeko s goal was the club's 100th in all

competition this season. No other club in modern times has reached a

century so quickly. And with the balance of power seemingly shifting

between the two Manchester clubs, City could yet break a record set by

United in 1957 for the most goals scored in a season. Stuart Flinders

reports. Manchester City's 100th of the

season! Four goals on Saturday. But incredibly that's City's average at

home nowadays. 103 goals in 34 matches, it's a record. Another 40

and City will have scored more goals than any other team in a single

season since the 1950s. That record was set by Manchester United.

They're in big trouble, the champions, they're 3`0 down. Night's

defeat yesterday underlines the shift in the balance of power from

Old Trafford to the Ethiad. I don't think Manchester United are on the

way down, they're having a transitional period. City, can they

get better? I think they can. I think the foundations are there.

It's not going to be short`term and I am pleased. I always have a smile

on my face lately watching this team play. Rarely has it been a better

time to be a City fan. They're improving all the time and

we are seeing it. We are getting artists now, when you look out

there. The players are artists. It's quite true that, yeah. They're more

ballet dancers than footballers in a sense when you look at them. Some of

the best football we have seen. We have been coming a long time and

this is the best football we have seen.

The goals keep coming! Can't stop scoring, can they?

Tonight, Everton could move into the top four ` at the expense of

Liverpool ` with a win at West Brom. Everton have only lost twice in the

league this season, but they've had eight draws and that concerns the

manager. Some of those should have been three

points, should have been victories and that's where the work is based

now, to get those draws and victories. When you get to that

position in the league, nine games to go, you are looking at where you

are and you can settle for the aims in the final game of the season.

in the final game of the season There's full match commentary on

Radio Merseyside from 7.00pm. British bobsleigh reserve pilot `

Lamin Deen from Manchester ` produced the drive of his career to

secure Team GB a second four`man berth at the Winter Olympics in

Sochi. The main crew had already qualified, so at the World Cup event

in Austria they switched sleds to help the reserve team's chances

Lamin Deen ` who's only been driving the bobsleigh for four years ` said

he was overwhelmed. Every year I have found it easier to

take to the sled from the summer to the winter and the coaches go more

indepth and they say it takes ten years to be a great driver, but with

the team we have got, you know, we are taking shortcuts.

Fascinating. He came from Moss Side, a tough upbringing and left that

behind, went to the Army because he is such a good athlete, became a

Bobsleigh pilot and has been doing it a few years. Should mention that

Nathan Hinds has signed for Sale Sharks, the experienced Scottish

international. Thank you very much. The eyes of the film world will be

on Los Angeles in a few weeks' time for the 86th Academy Awards ` better

known as The Oscars. And a film made here in the North West will be among

the contenders. The Voorman Problem is nominated for the Best Short

Film. It was written by Mark Gill and Baldwin Lee ` they also directed

and produced the film. We'll be chatting to them in a moment. First,

let's have a look at a short clip. The film's about a psychiatrist

brought into a prison to assess the sanity of one of the inmates who

believes he's a god. Tom Hollander is the prisoner ` Martin Freeman the

doctor. Would you mind telling me how long

you have believed yourself to be a God? I may ask you the same

question. You have some big names in there,

how did you for your first short film secure Martin Freeman? What we

did is we just believed in our script 100%. We sat down and came up

with a list of people and Kevin Spacey was on the list, wrote a

letter. We were surprised when he got in touch and suggested Tom

Hollander and Tom helped us get Martin. I guess that for a story

about this of this kind where it's an interaction with two people

everything hangs on the script. Absolutely. It's a testament to the

writing, thankfully. It's not only us who wrote it. We based it on a

short exert from a novel by David Mitchell who some people will know

for Cloud Atlas. We had a great basis and did our best to refine the

script for a period of eight, ten months before we let anyone see it.

Thankfully people agreed with us. You have been nominated for an

Oscar, what did that feel like to get that news? I have heard it

described as fan`tabulous, a good word. We were emotional to be

honest. It's nerve`racking, the whole process. It's cruel to let

people know they're shortlisted It's possibly one of the most

nervous periods of my life ever. It's possibly one of the most

nervous periods of my life ever. The pressure was immense. Strangely I

couldn't stop shaking once we heard. Everyone in your house was watching

to see the nominations but you knew they didn't come out on your TV. I

did research, I sat at the back and kept refreshing and refreshing. You

were looking on a computer. They were watching the telecast and he

was pacing around like a lunatic! I just saw it, I had to move the page

slightly and saw it, and turned the computer round and they went mad, I

was calm! I bet. The night itself will be a huge occasion. Can you

even imagine what it's going to be like? Even to be nominated must be

the most exciting thing let alone to win. We were lucky to go to the

BAFTAs last year, nominated there. Black tie or tux? I am going to wear

everything all at once. If you win, would you bring the statue in and

talk to us? Of course. Danny Boyle spoke to us after he won. You are In

Good Company. You have to do that. Thank you for coming in. You must be

very busy. Thank you. I know someone who will be extremely

jealous in a minute, but before we get to the weather: Liverpool has

come third in the Rough Guide's Top Ten cities to visit this year. The

tourist guide highlights the Albert Dock as an area that's enjoying a

full`blown cultural renaissance The write`up also encourages tourists to

experience the Liverpool Biennial Contemporary Arts Festival and the

Baltic Triangle. Rio de Janeiro and Sarajevo took the two top spots.

Sarajevo took the two top spots You have enough trouble choosing a

dress for the weather, she has that many! You would be stuck if you went

to the Oscars. I wonder if they want someone to come with them and carry

the Oscar, I could bring it back! Hello, good evening. The week ahead

looks to be very unsettled yet again. We had very decent conditions

today, it was dry and bright. Plenty of sunshine around. Don't be

expecting more of the same, you can see there is rain in the forecast

for Tuesday. Showers on Wednesday and Thursday.

And then we head to Friday and you can see behind me another band of

rain works in later on Friday. Unsettled is a best description.

rain works in later on Friday. Unsettled is a best description. The

Unsettled is a best description The rest of the week we keep

temperatures in single figures. I don't think we are going to see as

much sunshine as we saw today. Tonight, a yellow weather warn

warning, for fog. We are going to see dense patches of fog overnight.

It's going to be mostly dry. The densest patches of fog I expect will

be over the tops of the Pen nines overnight. A cloudy night, as well.

It's going to be breezy in places. Temperatures will fall close to

freezing. We may just see a patch of frost on one or two spots. Tomorrow,

plenty of cloud around and that rain moves in slowly, probably not making

land fall until late afternoon. The winds picking up arched the coasts.

That `` around the coasts. That rain will fall practically all day on the

Isle of Man. Elsewhere, cloudy and breezy and rain later. Disappointing

temperatures, just five or six. The rain continues on Tuesday night into

Wednesday. Showers on Thursday and more rain on Friday. Be careful,

keep an eye on the fog tonight and tomorrow.

Thank you very much. An interesting fact, Martin Freeman and Tom

Hollander did it for nothing because they loved the script so much, the

film we were talking about. Thank you for watching, good night.